OK, so you're Chris Christie. You're running for president and jostling with all the other people running for president. You need to separate yourself and show you deserve the mantel as head of the Republican Party. So what do you do? Well, you could do the same old, same old:
- Draw a straight line between yourself and Ronald Reagan. That's pretty much a necessity. It's like having to touch the bases in order to score a home run.
- Tout how much you hate taxes. You loathe them. You will do anything to reduce them. Doesn't make any difference what you're giving up.
- Prove you're pro business and are actively against raising the minimum wage by even a penny, and you oppose all government regulation.
So what's a tax-hating, Reagan-loving, business supporting conservative gonna do? Well, you're going to do what Christie just did. Specifics below.
Gov Christie has announced his choice for Treasurer. To get a flavor of this appointment, there's this:
Wall Street Journal:
The Tax Cliff Is a Growth Killer
No matter what happens from now on, 2013 will be a very tough year.
By ARTHUR B. LAFFER AND FORD M. SCUDDER
July 15, 2012 6:32 p.m. ET
The United States faces an economic collapse thanks to massive tax increases on Jan. 1, and continued deficit spending for years on end.
Keynesians worry about spending cuts and to some extent the expiration of the temporary 2% payroll tax cut. But the looming expiration of the Bush tax rate cuts along with new levies enacted as part of ObamaCare pose the greatest threat.
See the authors? Arthur Laffer and Ford Scudder. As most kos readers know, Laffer is most known for the famous Laffer curve, which was the foundation of Ronald Reagan's economic policy. It showed that reducing tax rates improves tax revenue by promoting a robust economy, until you - way at the end of tax reductions - reach a point where tax revenues finally decline.
In addition to authoring a tried-and-untrue, long proven wrong theory of tax cuts, Arthur Laffer also has an association. The association's chief operating officer is his co-author, Ford Scudder.
Scudder is the protege of Reagan's economic guru. He believes in a low minimum wage, if he even accepts the concept of one at all. He wants to reduce or eliminate government regulation as a stifling effect on business (I haven't found any reference to him wanting to take away government finding and support that helps business, of course). And cutting taxes is just a given, what with his being a devote of the Laffer Curve.
And Scudder, as part of Laffer Associates, was one of the consultants Brownback engaged to help him design and implement the disastrous and totally failed economic changes in Kansas.
And that's what Gov Christie and Kansas have in common: the same adviser. Because Christie has now nominated Scudder to be Treasurer of the State of New Jersey.
Scudder will face some stiff questioning by Democrats in the state legislature because of his dogmatic Laffer approach.
But gee, who could question the wise judgment of a 32-year old who confidently predicted (see previously quoted WSJ article) the complete "economic collapse" of the US beginning in January . . . . . of 2013.